The Steel Guitar Forum

see below. . . .

Bud Angelotti wrote:Now, of course we all pretty much know how the steel could be used in alot of the more popular music thats going on nowadays if it wasn't so pigeon holed as a strictly country sound.

That pigeon hole is only in the minds of steel players, Bud. Look at the list of artists that Greg Leisz has recorded with "nowadays": www.allmusic.com/artist/greg-leisz-mn0000154702/credits

I have never seen anyone say anything bad about the steel guitar on banjo forum... just something to think about...

I dunno bOb.
When a producer of name talent wants a steel, they know what the thing is capable of, so Mr.Leisz gets the call.
At the level most of us are at, the steel is still a country machine.
I meet people that are doing interesting music, I can hear an interesting non-country steel part, but they can't get past the country mind-set and at least try it.
But thats just my limited experience in my little world and of course there is great stuff being created all the time.
We're splitting hairs at this point anyway.
Rock-on!

Banjo is great fun!
The right hand picking makes you a better Steel player.
My recommendation?... Play both!

I know this is in the wrong area, but it seemed appropriate for this thread...

A beautiful maiden is talking a stroll around the castle when she hears, "Hey! Down here!" Looking around, she sees a small frog down by the moat and picks it up. "Hi-I'm really a banjo player but an evil witch has put a spell on me and turned me into a frog. If you would kiss me I can return to my normal self and we can live happily ever after..." The beautiful maiden smiles and puts the frog in her purse. "Hey! Aren't you going to kiss me?" shouts the frog. "No way-a talking frog is worth a lot more than a banjo player!"

Damir Besic wrote:I have never seen anyone say anything bad about the steel guitar on banjo forum... just something to think about...

See what I mean about the different communities?!?!?!

Actually, I posted this on the banjo hangout, and it's true.......almost 1/2 the folks talked about what a great instrument the PSG is.

Poor banjo gets a bad rap.......which, of course, makes me want to embrace the underdog, like the contrary cuss that I am!

BTW.....I won't give up on either instrument, especially not the steel. It's more about deciding if I want to attempt both, seriously, at the same time. I know some people shoot for the stars and strive for greatness. Me? I'm driven by a horrifying fear of being mediocre.

I bet they don't argue about tuning to A 440 on the banjo hangout.

..Olaf

I posted this on the banjo hangout, and it's true.......almost 1/2 the folks talked about what a great instrument the PSG is.

Flattery will get you nowhere.

Smart money says the banjo forum moderator doesn't suffer from psg-phobia, Bud

I recommend that you put a nut riser on your banjo and play it with a tone bar.

Just don't expect much sustain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSM0O8h-NFY

bob is a "banger" tuned in A?? Inquiring minds want to know.

Harold Dye wrote:bob is a "banger" tuned in A?? Inquiring minds want to know.

How would I know?

As they say, the difference between a lawnmower and a banjo is that you can tune a lawnmower.

Harold:
Banjo tunings resemble a copedent on a pedal steel. Hers some, most common are G,
C modal or double C and D.
5-String Banjo
G, D, G, B, D. The most standard 5-string banjo tuning. ...
G, C, G, C, D. Often used in Old Time music, this is referred to as "Double C" Tuning because the banjo has two C strings. ...
G, C, G, B, D. This is referred to as "C" Tuning. ...
F#, D, F#, A, D. ...
G, D, G, C, D. ...
C, G, D, A. ...
G, D, A, E. ...
D, G, B, E.
The same question was on the Banjo Forum!

Lyle Dent wrote:...The same question was on the Banjo Forum!

There's a Banjo Forum?
I can't imagine they have much to talk about.
(I say that, being a person who plays 4, 4+1, 5+1, 6, 6+1 and 12-string banjos.)

Alan, being a banjo-wise-cracker, I'm hesitant to come to the Banjo forum's defense, but I'd have to say that they got a lot more to discuss than 99.9% of the people on Facebook.
Example: "I had a great piece of toast this morning" 270 likes, 57 shares......

I'm a multi-instrumentalist - primarily a 6-string electric B-bender guitar player and acoustic flat picker, (plug Gypsy jazz, another "instrument" entirely) electric and acoustic mando player and Dobro player - but I also play banjo (a flathead 5-string, tenor and 5-string electric Deering Crossfire), pedal steel (modified Fenders and just got another dual-8 string from the 50's), lap steel, uke, drums, bass (electric and upright ) and drums...oh, and re-started alto sax after 45 years away from it.

If my health was up to it I'd be working 6 nights a week. I was for many years. AND had a full-time day job, family, coached sports teams, surfed and had a "normal" life. And I never had a lesson.

My point is this - playing TWO instruments competently enough to enjoy hem and sound decent enough that others *think* you know what you're doing enough to both hire you AND compliment you just isn't that hard, unless you have absolutely no sense of rhythm or can't pick up stuff my ear with practice.

When actively playing I rarely practiced - I just listened to songs on the way to a gig and played. NOW I have the luxury of being able to play several hours a day, but really don't - probably a solid hour in bits and pieces.

So DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Play both. You'll be good enough to amuse yourself and others will think you're pretty versatile. But DON'T stress about being supremely compete on either one unless you plan to become a professional musician. Even then, many studio guys who double routine instruments to "cheat" and just get the *sound* of the instrument and never become extremely skilled at multiple instruments.

You like both. Play both.

Brooks Montgomery wrote:...Example: "I had a great piece of toast this morning" 270 likes, 57 shares......

Hey, that sounds interesting. I must have missed that post.

We could pretty much all agree that what "we" really "need" is a new HERO on the order of John Mayer or Bruno Mars, only he has to play... pedal steel guitar? I'm not certain, but I don't think they have that lecture in the "Becoming a Teen Idol 101" courses. I actually think John Mayer handled himself pretty slick, he was doing a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute thing and some record company exec saw the curly brown locks, the apple cheeks, the pouty lips and said "TEEN IDOL!" He did it for a few years to build up clout, then said "No more teen idol, I'm a blooooz-man!" And hired Pino Palladino and STEVE JORDON on bass and drums... these are NOT working-for-scale bored advertising jingle guys.

So then he blew out his voice, ran completely full OUT of Hollywood starlets, movin' to Montana soon, became a dental floss tycoon. OH NO! Scratch that - he came back a DEADHEAD. I just read he put a LAP-STEEL solo on somebody's song, so if he's gonna go THE FULL JERRY (you can keep the finger, kid) - could a PEDAL STEEL GUITAR be far behind? Problem being: HE'S TOO OLD NOW TOO!

So what is really needed here is a pair of four-year-old TWINs, lock 'em in that Montana cabin with nothing but pedal steel guitars, every teaching method ever, a few hundred exemplar CDs - a few thousand frozen pizzas (an ample supply of dental floss), and let 'em out in a decade.* The pout should come natural by then. We're just too wimpy to do the job right anymore, which is why I think the "Next Big Steely Thing!" MAY very well be coming out of... NOT America.

*the pertinent story - Johnny Winter locking Pat Ramsey in a hotel room with a pizza and a stack of Jimmy Reed albums - starts around 26:23 here ->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKGr5U2ui8

David Mason wrote:We could pretty much all agree that what "we" really "need" is a new HERO on the order of John Mayer or Bruno Mars, only he has to play... pedal steel guitar? ...

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ight=super
Enter Supersteelman.

Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
No, it's Supersteelman, here to defend steel guitarists everywhere.

If you want to get rid of your wife, I'd say stick with the banjo!

I am with the group who says play both. The banjo helps with the dexterity on rolls.
Sometimes I give up practicing all instruments except one for a while (i.e. acoustic flatpicking) to improve that instrument/playing style.
The steel requires a lot of practice for me though.

The banjo is good to get rid of unwanted party guest as well as fun to play.
Lefty

Lefty wrote:The banjo is good to get rid of unwanted party guest....
Lefty

And it doesn't take a lot of practice to do it.